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I've got over 32 years in the industry and wouldn't leave unless I absolutely had to. Love love love the life. But I actually had to ask myself that question over a year ago when I was let go after twenty years with the same outfit, and a boatload of qualifications couldn't find me a job anywhere on the planet.
Starting out was tough, mid-eighties in a recession, but I was doing dry-wall, running parts around, refuelling aircraft and babysitting the boss's kids, and they threw me the odd bone with a ferry flight here or there, and it grew from that. Never said no to any opportunity. I had no interest in the IFR market but eventually it found me. I had no interest in offshore but once again, it found me. Same goes for touring overseas...never would have done it if it hadn't been forced on me (company lost its only domestic contract). I don't regret a second of any of it. I just put my hand up for everything. SAR, sure why not...I'm a SAR TRE now. Manager, I've managed operations all over the globe after my first shaky introduction in the ME, sim instructor (various types), check pilot, writing manuals and training programs, etc etc...I just keep being the guy that said "Sure, why not."
When I was laid off in the big lull, I seriously applied for every job on the planet. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Fixed wing held no interest. I wrote a novel to keep myself busy. Had a line on a summer bucketing job with a 61 then fell into a government job in the Caribbean, right place at the right time. I'm here now writing under a mango tree.
My only advice, and it's worked well for me, is step up at every opportunity.

CLIENT: how much does that 407 lift,
OPS MANAGER; we have proprietary bigly blades, so more than anyone else, where industry innovators,,,,
CLIENT: did he say Bigly......well its (insert year)..what ever....
OPS MANAGER: you,,,,,,Meat servo,,,,,, where only paying you airtime for this job, if you don't like that 15-20% pay cut, you can always quit so i don't need to pay you severance .....I'm busy being a bigly industry innovator.......oh and by the way, the logbook needs to match flight tickets and unused mins need to be recored. Your only going to record the best flights,,,,,right,,,, anything else is well.......you know.....only the other guys do that.....but not us, we have iPads, with a 30day free trial of netflix.......
MEAT SERVO: we'll thats BS........Meat servo then uses the industry standard bigly ops manager time keeping method, hoping to exceed mins. Over an industry standard 30-42day tour, bigly time keeping method earns Meat Servo an extra buck fifty.
OPS MANAGER; I'm innovating,,,,, casually writes a memo in May....Dearest: Meat Servo, we only hire the best people, believe me, but the company had no profit this year, so nothing will be shared......in fact you owe us hours, Owners Union says so, arn't they the best people..Believe me, alway looking out for the little guy.....that 407 has the bilgiest blades, aren't they innovative.....hmmmmm i'm an innovator, i should exploit government programs for innovators.......SMRT
ENGINEER: ya that hour meters broken, parts are on back back backorder......dreams of that extra .50c
DOM: puts head in sand.
Chief Pilot: spins around in a circle......Only a few more mooches before i'm outta here....
Owners Union: writes a letter trying to be relevant,,,,,,,Dearest (the void),,,,Mountain course are stupid and cost the industry bigly........
TC: leaves early,,,, its friday and i'm a couple years from a stress leave transition to retirement.
Innovative circling of the toilet bowl continues.
Tune in next week, when we explain how to drown someone in SMS......
This is a work of fiction, and no parts represents actual events.

I read these negative post about getting jobs, I find it bizarre as I got flying right away and have been busy ever since. I get calls all the time companies and friends asking if I know any pilots I would recommend. Now I work on my terms and on top of that for a great company. This profession has been amazing and taken me to many different countries. I have no regrets what so ever. Companies right now are struggling to fill seats with good people. Maybe it is the attitude that hinders getting hired. You get what you put into it, and just because you think you put a lot into it might actually not be very much.

I left rotary wing flying in the mid 1990s. As much as I enjoyed the hands and feet I didn't enjoy chasing the odd paycheck, less than good maintenance at times, having the aircraft capabilities oversold to the customer, effects on the home life of extended absences... That said some assignments were incredibly satisfying.
For me it was time for a change. Went full time fixed wing..604, 704 & 705 ops. Never filed again for EI, was home a lot more and had a life. Wasn't all peaches and cream but the pluses were ahead of the minuses. Only mild excitement was two in-flight shutdowns in 20+ years. Really enjoyed the IFR. No complaints.

Companies do still hire low timers, and i really do believe its all about attitude and not the way you dress. I had not even finished my training that two companies had offered me a job. I started fresh out from training at 100hrs, did the go-fer thing and helped with maintenance as i am an apprentice AME. And now, a few months after, i am doing my astar type rating and will be doing my PPC shortly after. As said before, it's not because the company doesn't have a job posting for a low timer that you should not go see them and talk to them. And don't expect to fly right away and stay home when you are not flying. But in my opinion working in the hangar, and as ground crew on contracts is really important. You learn so much more from doing so. Being a helicopter Pilot isn't all about how good your are with the controls.

I'm sure you would have had some response's if you asked where you could get a crap wonder bread sandwich with some stale cookies. (any forestry camp} With what pilots are paid now day's eating out would entail a meal with a crew dressed in yellow nomex. If Nakoda is the worst food you've ever experienced you should try a Saskatchewan forestry tour some time.

MEAT SERVO: I applied the standard bigly time calculation, every starts a 0.3 and never less than .2 on the invoice.. The hour meter didn't match at the end of day. Its broken, and BTW your hour meters literally just a hole in the dash i put pens in.
OPS MANAGER: you need to make a logbook correction, you don't understand how expensive parts are. You took my words literally, and i have the best words, can't you read minds.
MEAT SERVO: I'll need to change all the invoices too.
OPS MANAGER: whoa,,,,,,, back the F-up. You need to bill the client as much a possible, and record as little as possible in the JLB......but the books all need to match for the auditor... this isn't hard. Starts are expensive, clearly you need to manage the client better. When i never did that job and crashed a few aircraft on my way into management, i made it work.
MEAT SERVO: You could charge more.
OPS MANAGER: why would we do that, i'm and industry innovator and i've invented a new way of helicoptering....the best way....
OPS MANAGER: see its simple, we need to cut labour costs, and paying you by the second airtime is best for the company.... Oh BTW the specialty flight pay we agreed to, was for special drills, the job you where on, wasn't special enough drills, so your not getting paid that. You need to listen better to words coming out of my mouth...they really are great......
MEAT SERVO: Do you have any more of those magic hour meter pens??!!!!!
CP: I see you found the magic pens....closes office door.
DOM: i didn't see that magic pen, but i know they exist since QA sent memo about them. QA needs to issue another memo about the hour meter not being a pen holder....stupid MEAT SERVOS..... Oh well, looks likes where doing that engine overhaul early, but not really early, but it is early, what ever,,,,Head back in sand.
ACCOUNTANT:(Hours invoiced) x (tariff) = (bigger number better).......
AUDITOR: All the numbers matched,,, Meat Servo did and excellent job,,,, so,, we good
TC: look at all that paper work, 'i's dotted 'T's crossed.... what a stressful day, better get a doctors note for next week.
disclaimer: again work of fiction. Magic pens do not exist and obviously recording incorrect things in a JLB is illegal.

Now that ForeFlight 9 at long last enables User Map Shapes (see https://foreflight.com/support/user-map-shapes/ for more info on this fantastic new feature) I've created the SOPFEU Grid System KML to aid in work with SOPFEU.
This includes the 9 subdivided rectangles grid system and the 4 digit main rectangle identifier labeled on the bottom left corner of each rectangle.
See the attached PDF for more info on the SOPFEU grid system:
User Map Shape is attached in the SOPFEU Grid.ffkml.kml file.
Screenshots of ForeFlight utilizing this User Map Shape
SOPFEU Grid System.pdf
SOPFEU Grid.ffkml.kml

Bro...you're an instructor from the US?? How do you not know the FAA definition of Hover Taxi & Air Taxi?? Seriously...
Keep on practising "flying a rectangular pattern at a proper altitude and reading paper charts" Good Luck...

I agree with you on some points...total time does not necessarily make a better pilot but I would be scared to death of a person who thinks they're a hotshot longline pilot at 500 hours.
The reason I don't look at pilots with less than 2000hrs PIC (5-7 years) is I want someone with a reputation and proven work experience. When a pilot reaches 2000hrs PIC they have revealed the type of person they are and the potential they have within our industry.
Insurance is an issue but the bigger issue is contract minimums set by our customers, they pay our bills so therefore they set the minimum pilot requirements.
I am most certainly opposed to hiring foreign pilots, there are plenty of qualified Canadian pilots if you're providing a good schedule and decent wage. (and you can't pay a decent wage when you're sending your B2 to BC from eastern Canada at $900 hour)

First of 2,000 hours flying tours and to the same well sites day after day does not necessarily make you a better pilot. If you cannot figure out the feel and systems on a machine at 200 hours 500 may not help much.
I know pilots with 5,000 hours that scare the crap out of drillers on a long line. I have also seen pilots with 500 hours total time fly a long line that impress’s every one they work with. I have also witnessed guys with well over 2,000 hours that couldn’t think for themselves in the bush.
Some operators like to claim 2,000 hours is an insurance requirement. I don’t know an insurance company that will not sell you insurance based on Total time. They will give you a better rate if you guarantee High Total time minimums.
Some companies use the high minimums to recruit from other countries. They put out advertisements hoping no one will apply. No applications our unqualified applications make it easy to get Visa for out of country pilots. I wonder how quick companies would drop their minimums if the Federal Government refused all Visa for pilots.
The moral why not hire people based on their ability not their hours. How do you expect people to get 2,000 hours and learn if know one wants to hire them until they have 2,000 hours.

500 hours. You could never confirm this with the paper manuals. The FA01315A PN in the PRE is in the parts book but listed under mod 7174. SB63.12 lists the 705 PN for the filter and is mod 7162 (I think from memory). Only on the CD can you see that FA01315A and the 705 numbers are the same.
I'm glad I'm not at the point in my career where I have learned everything and I have nothing to gain by talking to other professionals.